boy a lot of stuff is coming out on obamacare.no wonder they past this in secert.......BS

Kingston TN

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The hubby's health insurance charges higher premiums if one's waist circumference is greater than 40 inches. They also charge extra for smokers and collect a blood sample to analyze and verify whether or not you are a smoker.

Albany OR

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"It's simple economics"

You haven't been in the Politics fora before just now, have you? Simple economics are not well-received by many.

Windermere FL

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We need to get beyond who can tell whom to do what.

So long as corporate America is footing the bill for so much of the US health care, it has the right to influence its workers towards healthy behaviors. For clarity, for every dollar that an employee pays, the corporation has to put in about four dollars to cover the cost. The corporation truly does have skin in the game.

It's simple economics. It costs the company less to promote and sustain the health of the workforce than it does to treat the illnesses. It shares some of the savings with its employees. What's not to like?

Atlanta GA

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"Answering CVS (CVS +1.42%) customers' questions about marked-down English muffins, sweeping up collapsed displays of Cadbury Creme Eggs and developing mankind's last known rolls of 35-mm film isn't demeaning, it's just work.

Having to disclose your weight and body fat levels just to get that gig is another story.

The Boston Herald disclosed CVS' new health screening policy Tuesday and revealed that workers who fail to comply would face $50-a-month surcharge. That $600-a-year penalty somewhat undermines CVS' suggestion that the new policy is "voluntary," but it's an increasingly common move by companies looking to save money by avoiding employees with costly health conditions.

Under the new federal health care insurance mandate, companies may also penalize obese workers, smokers and anyone else who doesn't participate in the company wellness plan and meet specific goals.

CVS Caremark, which has 200,000 employees, told all workers using the company insurance plan to have a doctor measure their weight, height, body fat, blood pressure and glucose and fasting lipid levels by May 1. CVS will pay for the screenings, but workers have to sign a form saying the screening is (kind of) voluntary and that they agree to let the company's insurer release results to WebMD Health Services Group. That organization, in turn, helps CVS interpret that data and determine who makes the cut."

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Sorry, I posted the wrong story though it's part of it. The right one, was on ABC with Diane Sawyer, about CVS. Part of what's not being covered here is what they covered on the news on television earlier today. CVS is moving forward with this information. They are actually acting, by giving employees above certain BMI numbers, and bad cholesterol numbers 12 months to correct the issue. If after 12 months they have not improved, they will be paying higher health insurance premiums.

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I don't see how this is news. Every job I've had since 2002 had required annual physicals and this data is collected and kept in my medical file.

The corporation said the information will remain private and that the policy is meant as an incentive so that their employees will be as healthy as they can be, but many are concerned that the company will have access to the information and could use it against their employees.

Submit to weight, BMI and glucose testing by May 1 or pay more in out of pocket health insurance costs. That's the policy CVS Pharmacy's nearly 200,000 employees now face.

"It's too much to get into your privacy, that's how I feel about it," said Steve Suhs. "I'm a big guy, so I don't like to hear about that either."

According to an internal CVS document provided to ABC7 anonymously by an employee, "Colleagues who take action to stay healthy or improve their health, and get results, will be rewarded. Those who don't take accountability will have to pay more in the future."

But CVS is not alone. A lot of private companies now do that. And starting last year city of Chicago employees were given the same requirement in an attempt to control spiraling health care costs.

"Our company does that now," said Thomas Gjondla. "I don't have a problem with it, helps keep people know they're not unhealthy."

CVS says the information will remain private, but this type of policy raises legal implications.

"It really is a balancing act though because you want to make sure you're protecting patients, employees, privacy rights and that they're not being discriminated against," said Sarah Blenner, Chicago Kent College of Law.

Some call it a bully tactic. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Chicago area CVS employee told ABC7, "I have nothing to hide, but I feel they're invading my privacy. This is something between me and my physician. I believe they're doing this as a way to eventually raise our premiums so much that will make it impossible to pay our insurance. We can do better."

A spokesperson for Mayor Rahm Emanuel said that the policy has worked for the city, and that in the last year they saved over $20 million in health care costs as a result." ======================

I fully support this!

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what you ate or drink was nobodys buiness until obichtcare.now its everybody buniess,cause now everbody has to pay for your health.since you pay you can tell other people what to eat and drink.ok,now all you fat libbers get healthly or go to the salt mines(pun intended) or be put on the grist mill like COAN was...........BS

Kingston TN

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just pass a snotlocker tax.if you have one you can be tax at a greater rate then people who don.t have one.and if is full more then 10 days a year,charge double.if it is full more then 30 days a year charge 4 times as much.that way we can aford to give everybody flu shots.which well give more people the flu.which will bring more dollars for more shots,which will give more people the flu.this would be a progresse tax.also the longer you live the more you pay.this would help people who would cut off the nose to spite the tax.we know WHO they are.how bout a bullshit tax?.this could get pertty expenise for some people.........BS

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